Throwback Thursday

I'm doing a new series of posts this summer and linking up with a very funny chick's blog - Bonnie from The Life of Bon. I've been following her for a bit and really appreciate her view on life. She's started a new link-up series called Throwback Thursday, where she (and now me!) will write about different fun memories from the past. The first topic is - A memory of learning how to drive, your first car, or early driving days.


I didn't get my drivers license until I was 17 years old. I was in a foot cast when I turned 16 and since all of my friends had their licenses and cars, I didn't feel any pressing need to drive myself around. When I did finally get my licence I was given my first car - a hand-me-down from my parents to my sister to me - a lovely 1981 Dodge Aries K two-door in a beautiful shade of yellow. The ad below shows the car in what has to be the color we had, because why on earth would they have multiple yellow cars in the line-up? I'm not they type to name my car or even call it a "her" - so this was just the Aries.

My car was not a 6-passenger vehicle as the ad says, though. It had two front seats that folded forward without any hooks or handles to move them - they just folded freely. Safe, right? We had those front seats covered in incredibly thick sheepskin seat covers. Cozy. Especially in the middle of summer. I also added a deluxe console thing between the seats that had cup holders, change holders, a cassette tape holder. I was stylin! We must have upgraded the radio to one with a tape deck at some point. Later I put a Grateful Dead dancing bear sticker on the back window and eventually a sorority sticker, too.

better pic of the car (though the wrong color) - sexy, huh?

One day when the car was parked out in front of our house the horn started going off. An incredibly loud, constant HONK! The entire neighborhood came out to see what was going on. Nothing would make it stop except cutting the wires. We never bothered to get that fixed, so from then on I never had the pleasure of honking at people. 

I drove the Aries through the rest of my highschool days and into college. It took me to and from Fort Collins many, many times. I packed it to the roof with clothes and stuff when I moved out of the dorm back home and then into the sorority house. I let friends borrow it all the time, and jammed way too many people in it to go to parties. I drove this thing into the ground (though I never got in an accident!).

One day during my sophomore year, I was driving home to Denver when all sorts of random things began dying on me. First it was the radio, then all the dash lights dimmed, then the turn signals went slow-motion. Eventually even the speedometer stopped working, even though I was most definitley moving. I was freaking out and didn't think I'd make it home, so I got off the highway as soon as I could and drove to my grandparent's house. The car never went anywhere again. Bye-bye Aries. :(


Hope you enjoyed this totally random glimpse into my past! I'll be doing these posts on Thursday throughout the summer, so be sure to check back next week!